High levels of productivity are hard to maintain however, particularly in the office environment. Even small increases in productivity can result in greater profits for the firm and better wages and benefits for employees.



What Are The Most Harmful Elements for Productivity?

In the office environment the two factors with the most negative effects on productivity are sugar and dehydration. New studies show that these two factors, both individually and together have a significant and direct decrease in employee productivity.

The Problem with Sugar

Sugar, particularly processed sugar, is detrimental to productivity and recent studies of the workforce in the United Kingdom indicate that productivity can be significantly increased by eliminating sugar from the workplace.1 The greatest sources of sugar in the workplace are carbonated soft drinks that are loaded with sugar and other harmful ingredients.

Sugar, when initially ingested, causes a sharp burst of energy but the effects wear off rapidly resulting in the well known ?Sugar Crash? or ?Siesta Syndrome.? The ?Sugar Crash? or ?Siesta Syndrome? is evidenced by lethargy, loss of interest in work tasks and even sleepiness ? all results that decrease productivity.

The U.K. study concluded with the following regarding the ?Siesta Syndrome:?

?Three quarters of U.K. workers admit to being less productive in the afternoon

?A quarter believe they produce the least work between 2pm and 4pm

?More than half (52 percent) admit to making mistakes during this time

?Men are 10 percent more likely to make mistakes than women

?One in ten admit they are 90 -100 percent less productive during this time

The study concluded that the main cause for the productivity inhibiting ?Siesta Syndrome? was the effect of sugar on the body:

"Misconceptions still exist about why employees suffer from ?Siesta Syndrome? but usually the main reasons for this drop in productivity are meals being skipped and the wrong sorts of food being eaten. If workers feel they don't have time for lunch or don't have the option of healthy food being available within the office, it's no wonder that by 2pm sugar levels are so low they affect brain activity levels.?

The U.K study continues with specific recommendations to maintain productivity:

?Avoid sweet foods and sugary drinks, which cause sudden sugar boosts, followed by a lull in energy.

?Cut back on alcohol and caffeine, which artificially stimulate energy levels.

?Drink plenty of water. Even slight dehydration will affect mental and physical performance leaving you feeling tired and groggy.

Many companies, in an effort to increase productivity in the work place have made pure water available to employees at convenient places in the office or plant. The cost is small and the returns are large making pure water a good investment.

Dehydration is Also a Factor

Dehydration drains the energy of workers and significantly reduces productivity.

In addition, dehydration is hard to spot in its early stages and by the time a person is noticeably thirsty, they are thoroughly dehydrated. Dehydration leads to symptoms similar to low blood sugar and the impact on productivity can be considerable.

A recent study on dehydration and its effects on the workplace concluded that dehydration has a major impact on productivity and dehydration is pervasive in the work force resulting from inadequate intake of liquids, particularly water.2

The cure for dehydration is simple and effective ? pure drinking water that is easily accessible and in abundant quantities.

Why Purified Water?

There are many forms of drinking water and they vary in quality:

?Tap water is accessible but contains contaminants and other minerals that are harmful to long term health and tastes bad because of the addition of chlorine.

It is interesting to note that the Dehydration Study noted above concluded that the main cause of dehydration was the fact that many employees did not like to drink tap water because of the harsh, unpleasant taste of chlorine.

?Bottled water is often bottled tap water or spring water that often contains chemicals and contaminants due to industrial or agricultural runoff. The taste of spring water is also unpleasant to some consumers.

?Purified water. By far the purest and best tasting water is purified water created through a distillation/oxygenation process that delivers pure water with a light refreshing taste. Purified water not only increases productivity but it tastes good and encourages employees to drink more water.

Productivity is a critical issue for any company or organization. A simple and cost effective way to increase productivity is by supplying employees with an ample and easily accessible supply of the purest, freshest tasting water.

Increase productivity with purified water for only a small investment.

Try it and see the results.

Notes

1.)Personnel Zone Direct: Issue List: Sugar:

2.)The ?Study on Workplace Environment and Health?: